Most staysails are bob triangular, however some
are four-cornered, notably some fishermans
staysails.

Any triangular staysail set forward of the
foremost mast is called a jib. Confusingly, the innermost jib
on a cutter,
schooner and many other
rigs having two or more jibs is referred to simply as the staysail,
and another of the jibs on such a rig is referred to simply as the
jib.

Types of staysail include - the Tallboy Staysail
(a narrow staysail carried between the spinnaker and the mainsail
on racing yachts), the Genoa Staysail (a larger staysail carried
inside the spinnaker when broad reaching), and the Bigboy Staysail
(another name for the Shooter or Blooper, carried on the leeward
side of the spinnaker). Unlike the Cutter staysail,
none of these staysails have the luff affixed to a stay.

On large rigs, staysails other than jibs are
named according to the mast and mast section on which they are
hoisted. Thus, the staysail hoisted on a stay that runs forward and
downwards from the top of the mizzen
topgallant mast is the mizzen topgallant staysail. If two
staysails are hoisted to different points on this mast, they would
be the mizzen upper topgallant staysail and the mizzen lower
topgallant staysail.